Ann does her job, Caroline does hers, Dan is busy doing his. Everyone is working independently. So what’s the problem? It’s known as the “silo effect,” and it occurs in the workplace when individuals are focused almost exclusively on their own areas. Think of the farm silos, they stand next to each other, each performing its individual functions, but there is no link between them. That’s not a problem out on the farm, in the workplace; however, it’s a different story.

This silo effect can occur in the dental practice when there is a lack of communication and/or a lack of common goals among the different areas. The business employee unknowingly schedules the emergency patient at a time that puts significant strain on the doctor and the assistant. The doctor recommends an extensive treatment plan, not realizing that the patient already carries a significant balance on his account. The collections coordinator is to increase collections, but can’t control accounts receivables when the doctor is recommending costly treatment to patients with outstanding balances. The doctor, meanwhile, wants to increase treatment acceptance and is now offering more elective procedures. But there’s no effective communication between the silos.

Clearly, the collective interests of the practice as a whole are suffering. If there are common goals or a common purpose, they don’t have a chance in this environment until the silos are torn down and individuals focus on how they fit into the shared success of the entire office.

What will you do to show appreciation to your staff in 2013? Consider these 12 simple ways to thank and recognize staff throughout the coming year:

1. Say “Thank you.” Those two words said with sincerity mean a great deal, yet it costs nothing.

2. Make it a point to recognize at least one employee every day for something s/he did that you considered exceptional and share that accomplishment with the entire team during the daily huddle.

3. Encourage all staff to catch each other going above and beyond. Share those “acts of excellence” among the team.

4. Write a note recognizing someone for a work-related accomplishment and attach it to their paycheck.

5. Send a handwritten letter to the employee’s home regarding his accomplishments and value to the practice.

6. Treat the team to a movie and snacks.

7. Pay dues to auxiliary professional organizations for the employee.

8. Send staff to a dental meeting, such as Chicago Midwinter.

9. Schedule planning meetings off site at the zoo or a museum and allow time for the team to enjoy the excursion.

10. Provide rewards based on employee interests, tickets to the theatre for a Broadway fan, enrollment in a cross fit class for a fitness buff.

11. Give extra paid vacation time between Christmas and New Year’s.

12. Send the employee for a “day of relaxation” at a full-service salon.

Take a few pointers from so-called “healthy businesses.” These companies have some key characteristics that keep office stress under control thereby improving morale, increasing productivity, and reducing absenteeism and attrition.

Recognize employees for a job well done not just once a year – do so routinely. Make an effort to acknowledge the good works of at least one employee in your practice every day. Provide opportunities for career development. Most quality employees want more than just a job. They want the chance to become truly proficient. Provide opportunities for professional growth to your staff. Your practice will likely benefit every bit as much as your employee.

Give your team a voice in the process. Make them a valued part of the solutions. For example, if the new patient experience is lacking, create a staff subcommittee to identify and present recommendations for improvement to the group.

Make sure your actions as the leader of your practice are consistent with practice policies and values. In other words, if you have a collections policy that you expect your business team to follow consistently, don’t engage in your own financial negotiations with your favorite patients. If you expect your staff to be on time for the daily huddle make sure you are punctual as well. If not, you are further fueling practice stress.

Remember, old habits die hard. Often it is essential to bring in a third party to help develop the plan of action and assist the doctor and team in implementing and maintaining systems that reduce stress.

If you’ve been seeing a patient for three years and haven’t asked them how they feel about the condition of their mouth, you’re missing more than the boat. You’re losing a fortune in treatment opportunities. Engage the patient in conversation about their oral health goals. Trust, me they are in your office and expect to talk about more than just the weather and the kids.

Ask several broad questions and listen to what your patient is and is not telling you. For example, “How do you feel about your smile? How well can you chew with your partial? How would you like it if your lower teeth were straight? Have you ever thought you would like to have a brighter smile? Are you avoiding certain foods because it’s becoming more difficult to chew?”

Use the questions to better understand the value your patient places on oral health care and how they perceive their individual oral health condition. Encourage the patient to talk.

Educate the patient about new treatments that are offered in the practice. Provide patients with professionally written and designed materials that inform them about new services and procedures. Recommend websites where the patient can learn more. How are they supposed to know what you can do if you don’t tell them?

Use simple surveys to better understand your “market” and give your patients the opportunity to provide feedback on a regular basis. What you receive in return is information that can be used to make major gains in practice efficiency and treatment acceptance. Follow these guidelines and get firsthand information on what your patients really think.

1. Develop a clear objective for your survey. In other words, what do you want to learn from this survey and/or what decisions do you want to make based on the results.

2. Keep it concise and simple.

3. Ask several questions that require a “yes” or “no” answer.

4. Ask a few open-ended questions to elicit feedback from patients as to what they like most and least about the office. You will gather excellent information from these sections. Pay close attention. The feedback you gather will give you specific areas that can be improved right away.

5. Hand patients the form with a self-addressed, postage-paid envelope when they leave and mail survey forms to inactive patients. Or, better yet, email the form to all active and inactive patients, and make it available on your website.

6. Pay close attention to negative comments. If one person out of 100 complains about a specific problem, recognize that many people choose not to say anything. It’s easy to dismiss it as “only one complaint.” But that one complaint is speaking for many others who chose to remain silent on the issue.

7. Implement reasonable suggestions promptly. This demonstrates clearly to patients that not only do you want their input, you are prepared to act on their suggestions.